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Remus Lupin
- New from J.K. Rowling: Remus Lupin, 1960 Wales |died=2 May, 1998 |blood=Half-blood |marital=Married |alias=Moony - Chapter 18 (Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs) |title=Professor - Chapter 5 (The Dementor) |signature= |hidep= |species=Werewolf - Chapter 17 (Cat, Rat and Dog) |gender=Male |height= |hair=Light-brown |eyes= |skin=Light |hidef= |family=*Lyall *Hope *Nymphadora *Edward |hidem= |animagus= |boggart=Full moon - Chapter 7 (The Boggart in the Wardrobe) |wand=*Cypress *Unicorn *10¼" *Pliable |patronus=Wolf |hidea= |job=DADA Teacher |house=Gryffindor |loyalty= }} Professor Remus John Lupin (10 March, 1960 - 2 May, 1998) was a Welsh werewolf and the Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from September 1993 to June 1994. Biography Early life Remus John Lupin was the only child of the wizard Lyall Lupin and his Muggle wife, Hope Howell. Lyall, a world-renowned authority on Non-Human Spirituous Apparitions, met Hope in a dense Welsh forest where she had been walking when confronted by a Boggart. After rescuing her, he moved in with her, they married and a year later Remus was born. Remus was a happy, healthy boy who showed very early signs of magic, and both parents imagined that he would follow his father's footsteps, attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in due course. By the time Remus was four, Lord Voldemort's ascendancy was rapidly gaining followers, and the amount of Dark activity across the country was rapidly increasing. Very few wizards knew who or what was behind the attacks, and the Ministry of Magic called in every expert on magical creatures it knew of to help understand and contain the threat. Lyall Lupin was among those who had been asked to join, which he did gladly. At that time, the Werewolf Registry was badly maintained, and so when Fenrir Greyback was brought in for questioning on the deaths of two Muggle children, it was almost too easy for him to pretend to simply be a Muggle tramp who found himself amazed at being in a room full of wizards, and horrified by their talk of poor, dead children. Lyall, however, recognised the telltale signs that Greyback was a werewolf, and despite the jeering of his overworked and ignorant fellow committee members, sat in silence until he finally snapped, calling werewolves soulless and evil and stating that they deserved nothing but death. Greyback was immediately released with an apology from the Head of the Committee himself, and lost no time in planning a grisly, chilling revenge on this wizard who thought werewolves deserved nothing but death. Shortly before Remus's fifth birthday, Greyback forced the window of Remus's bedroom open and transformed, mauling the boy; although Lyall arrived in time to save his son's life, driving Greyback out with powerful curses, Remus would henceforth be a fully-fledged werewolf. Lyall never forgave himself for parroting the public's belief at the time, for he knew that except for those monthly occasions where his son transformed, he was as loveable and clever as ever. He tried his utmost to hide the details of the attack from his son, but eventually Remus discovered not only that it had been Greyback, but that it was because of his father's offending the werewolf - Chapter 16 (A Very Frosty Christmas). Both of his parents tried everything they could to cure him, but no matter how many potions and spells Lyall tried, nothing could cure his son. Thereafter, their lives became dominated by their need for secrecy and they moved on from village to village, never staying long, leaving the second whispers started of the boy's illness or his odd behaviour. Remus was forbidden from talking to or playing with the other children in case he let slip his condition, and as a consequence he grew up a very lonely child. Hogwarts years When Remus was young, a few silencing spells and a locked room usually sufficed. As he grew older, so did the wolf within him, and soon he was capable of pounding down doors and smashing windows, and more intricate charms were needed to contain him. Both parents grew thin with worry and fear, and Lyall began educating Remus at home, certain that he would never be permitted to enter a school. Shortly before Remus's eleventh birthday, Albus Dumbledore became Headmaster, and he was much more forgiving and welcoming to werewolves than his predecessors. He explained how he had arranged for a comfortable house to be built on a hillside near Hogsmeade, accessible only by a tunnel on the Hogwarts grounds and blocked by a Whomping Willow and a series of charms, where he could transform each month in peace. He then went to the Lupins' house and explained the precautions he had taken so that Remus could go to school. Remus was overjoyed; for the first time in his life, he would have friends. Hogwarts years On 1 September, 1971, Remus began at Hogwarts, where he was Sorted into Gryffindor House. He was swiftly befriended by two cheerful, confident and rebellious boys, James Potter and Sirius Black. He had already been friends with short, slow Peter Pettigrew, whom James and Sirius would not have paid attention to if not for Remus, and soon the four became unseparable. Remus functioned as the conscience of this group, but it was an occasionally faulty conscience. He disapproved strongly of their relentless bullying of Severus Snape, but was so grateful for their friendship that he did not stand up to them as often as he should have or could have. It did not take too long before his friends noticed Remus's monthly disappearances. When they did, he made up all sorts of stories to defend himself, convinced by his lonely childhood that they would desert him if they knew he was a werewolf, such as that his mother had fallen ill and he needed to go home to care for her. Despite his ever more elaborate lies, in their second year they figured out the truth, and instead of abandoning him as he had expected them to, they spent three years becoming Animagi. It was also at this time that they gave him the nickname 'Moony', which would follow him through his school career and into adulthood. With their influence and company, the four soon began leaving the security of the Shrieking Shack and roaming the school grounds and the village by night. There were a few instances where Remus almost escaped his friends and nearly bit someone, but he was reigned in and they later laughed about these occurrences. It was through their exploration that they wrote the Marauder's Map and signed it with their nicknames: Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs. Adult life Early adulthood By the time the four friends left school, Lord Voldemort had nearly fully risen. With international panic mounting steadily, all true resistance was focused into the underground renegade group the Order of the Phoenix, which all four joined. The deaths of James and Lily Potter were among the most traumatic events in Remus's already troubled life. His friends meant more to him than anyone else, since he had long ago accepted the fact that most people would deem him untouchable, and that the prospect of marriage or fatherhood was impossible. Furthermore, it was less than a full day later that Remus also lost his two other friends, Sirius and Peter. Unemployment The downfall of Lord Voldemort, a source of pride and happiness to most, marked the beginning of a long stretch of loneliness and isolation for Remus. His three best friends were gone and his comrades had returned to busy family lives. His mother was by this time dead, and though his father was always happy to see him, Remus refused to endanger Lyall by continuing to live with him. For the longest while, Remus lived a hand-to-mouth existence, taking jobs much below his skill level and moving on long before anyone caught on to his habit of becoming sick at the full moon. One invention in the wizarding world, the Wolfsbane Potion, gave Remus hope. It allowed a werewolf to keep his human mind during transformation and minimised the illness before and after. However, it was costly and complex, and Remus could not sample it without admitting to what he was, and so continued his lonely existence. Return to school Yet again, Dumbledore changed Remus's life when he tracked him down to a tumbledown, semi-derelict cottage in Yorkshire. Delighted to see the Headmaster, Remus was astonished when he was offered the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, and only accepted when it was explained that there would be a limitless supply of Wolfsbane Potion courtesy of the Potions master, Professor Snape. In September of 1993, Remus boarded the Hogwarts Express at King's Cross Station, and quickly fell asleep in a quiet compartment at the back of the train. His presence helped defend Harry Potter and his friends from a gang of bullies, and when he woke later due to the cold from the Dementors and the voices of his panicking students, he repelled the Dementors from the train with his Patronus. His first lesson with the third-year students proved very successful; he brought a Boggart into the staff room and taught the class how to use the charm "Riddikulus" to dispel the creature. This, alongside his jinxing of Peeves the Poltergeist, earned him most of the class's respect. Despite the fact that Draco Malfoy strongly disliked Lupin, saying he dressed like a house-elf, the rest of the class truly enjoyed his lessons: after Boggarts they studied Red Caps, then to Kappas, and then onto Grindylows - Chapter 8 (Flight of the Fat Lady). When he noticed Harry walking alone on Hallowe'en, he invited him into his office for a cup of tea. Whilst there, they discussed Lupin's high expectations of the class, and why he did not let Harry face the Boggart; he believed Lord Voldemort would materialise, and did not want to spark panic. When the portrait of the Fat Lady was attacked later that night by Sirius Black, Lupin was among the teachers who showed up at Gryffindor Tower to investigate. The following class, Remus had fallen rather ill due to his lycanthropy, and was forced to miss class, which was taken by Professor Snape. Shortly thereafter, Remus attended a Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, at which several Dementors showed up, throwing Harry off of his broom - Chapter 9 (Grim Defeat). Upon returning to class, Lupin noted that the class did not have to write the essay Snape had set, and instead provided an enjoyable lesson on Hinkypunks, having brought one in a glass cage - Chapter 10 (The Marauder's Map). After the class, he held Harry behind for a short bit, offered apologies on the state of Harry's broom, which had been smashed to bits by the Whomping Willow when he fell during the previous Quidditch match, and explained Dementors to Harry. Again around Christmas, Lupin was forced to spend some time off due to his illness, and consequently missed the Christmas feast, something that was noted by Professor Trelawney - Chapter 11 (The Firebolt). The following month, he provided Anti-Dementor lessons to Harry in the History of Magic classroom, where he was deeply impressed by his student's hard work and dedication - Chapter 12 (The Patronus). Their efforts paid off when Harry was able to create a corporeal Patronus whilst flying at the Gryffindor-Ravenclaw match - Chapter 13 (Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw). A shot bit later, Lupin covered for Harry when he was caught by Snape using the Marauder's Map to sneak into Hogsmeade - Chapter 14 (Snape's Grudge). After getting Harry out of trouble, Lupin admonished him for risking his parents' sacrifice in exchange for a bag of magic tricks, given how he still believed Sirius, at the time, to be a murderer. In June, Lupin set the Defence Against the Dark Arts exam, and it was unlike any exam they had ever had before - Chapter 16 (Professor Trelawney's Prediction). He had designed an obstacle course out in the sunny grounds, consisting of a paddling pool with a Grindylow, cross a series of potholes full of Red Caps, find their way across a marsh inhabited by a Hinkypunk and then climb into a trunk to fight a Boggart. Shortly after the exam, Lupin heard that Rubeus Hagrid's pet Hippogriff, Buckbeak, had been sentenced to death, and thought that Harry, Ron and Hermione might try to visit Hagrid to comfort him. He saw them on the Marauder's Map, and witnessed with his own eyes as Ron picked up Peter Pettigrew in Hagrid's Hut and was dragged down through the roots of the Whomping Willow by Sirius. He chased them down, and alongside Sirius explained much of his backstory, including how Peter had betrayed James and Lily Potter. Snape intervened, tying Lupin up and threatening to kill Sirius before offering to hand both of them to the Dementors, before Harry, Ron and Hermione disarmed Snape simultaneously, resulting in his being knocked out - Chapter 19 (The Servant of Lord Voldemort). Sirius and Remus revealed Pettigrew, tied him up and emerged from the tree. Due to the full moon and the fact that Remus had not taken his Wolfsbane Potion that night, he suffered a werewolf transformation in the grounds, endangering his former friends and his students; Sirius chased him into the Forest, but was then attacked by Dementors. Remus spent the rest of the night in the woods, an uncontrollable, murderous beast. The following morning, Remus handed in his resignation papers and began packing, given how Snape had revealed in the Great Hall that he was a werewolf - Chapter 22 (Owl Post Again). Although he was devastated to have to leave, he correctly felt that parents would not want a werewolf teaching their children, and that he posed a threat to the students the longer he stayed. Return of the Order Shortly after the return of Lord Voldemort in June 1995, Remus and Sirius met again - Chapter 36 (The Parting of the Ways), the latter having temporarily disappeared on the back of a Hippogriff due to being wanted for Pettigrew's murder because Pettigrew had managed to run away. Remus had returned to the cottage in Yorkshire, which Dumbledore now helped pay for; Dumbledore demanded that Sirius tell Remus, along with anyone else of the old crowd, what had happened, and then to lie low at Remus's house. Physical appearance Lupin often looked exhausted and ill, wore extremely shabby darned robes and had light-brown hair flecked with grey. He had a tired grey face, but looked quite young, and his eyes were alert and wary. He was noted to have a very hoarse voice. Personality and traits Remus was a good teacher who readily identified with all of his students and did his utmost to provide practical, exciting lessons. He paid compliments to those he felt lacked confidence or courage, and helped as much as he could. Appearances *''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'' *''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'' *''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'' *''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'' *''Pottermore'' Notes and references Category:Wizards Category:Males Category:Half-bloods Category:Gryffindors Category:Order of the Phoenix Category:Married